IIU investigates Winnipeg police cruiser crash through Main Street store's front door

The Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba is looking into the circumstances of a crash on Saturday that saw a Winnipeg police cruiser smash right into Bargains Galore on Main Street.

The crash left just the very back of the police car sticking out of the main entrance of 1428 Main St. Nearby, a red Toyota Corolla sat with its airbags deployed and missing a passenger door. A passenger in the Corolla was injured.

The driver of the northbound Corolla tried to turn west onto Polson Avenue right in front of the police cruiser, the IIU said in a news release. Police told the IIU the cruiser had its lights and sirens activated.

Police told CBC on the weekend the cruiser was on the way to a high-priority call at the time.

"The information that I have is that they were responding to the report of a male that was armed with a knife and was threatening an [officer]," said Const. Jay Murray.

The crash into the Corolla sent the police cruiser into the store, the IIU said.

The passenger in the Corolla, a 73-year-old woman, was taken to hospital with a collapsed lung and a fractured right ankle, said the IIU. The driver was not hurt, and four employees and one customer inside the store also walked away unscathed.

"As the woman's internal injuries required hospital admission, the agency is mandated to investigate," the IIU said.

The officers were released from hospital after being treated for soft tissue injuries, said the IIU.

The IIU is mandated to investigate all serious incidents that involve Manitoba police officers, whether on or off duty.